Warriors Book One: The Bloodstained Prophecy
by The Devil's Shadow
Summary: Erin is just an ordinary girl who loved the book Warriors. But never did she imagine that she would be turned into a warrior cat herself. Now she and her friends must work together if they ever want to save the forest from destruction. Suck at Sums...
1. Prologue

Prologue

The moon shone brightly in the sky, shining down on the treetops and turning them to silver. The stars glittered coldly, dimly lighting a single forest clearing. The wind blew lazily; brushing against the tress and making them shiver.

At the same moment, several strands of bracken parted to reveal a blue-gray she-cat, her fur silver in the moonlight. Her eyes were a startling blue, and full of wisdom. She lifted her neatly shaped head and sniffed the air before padding onto the soft silver grass of the clearing. She picked her way over to the middle and settled down, her fur sleek and shining. She raised her delicately shaped tail, and flicked it.

Almost immediately, cats poured out from all sides of the forest, filling up the clearing with their glowing bodies. Their fur was dotted with stars, their eyes shining with pale fire. A glittery frost trailed after their paws.

"What is wrong, Bluestar?" called a black tom after they were all settled.

"The clans are in danger," Bluestar meowed slowly, her blue eyes narrowing. "A terrible prophecy has risen."

"Can the clans survive it?" asked a bracken-colored tom.

"We may pick cats to save the clans," Bluestar replied. "The clans may have a chance, if those lucky few have the courage to face their destiny."

"Who are these cats?" questioned a gray she-cat.

"We should pick the cats who led the clans to their new homes," a white tom suggested. "They have skill and experience that none of the other cats have."

"Yes but they also have lives, Whitestorm," Bluestar growled. "Brambleclaw has a mate and kits. So does Squirrelflight and Tawnypelt. Crowfeather is still getting over the loss of Feathertail and Leafpool. And Stormfur is busy enough trying to prove his new loyalties to ThunderClan. We can not trouble them when they are just settling into their new lives."

"Then who is worthy enough to protect the clans?"

"That's just the problem," Bluestar hissed quietly. "None of the clan cats are capable."

The gathered starry cats gasped.

"What!"

"How can you say that? All clan cats are worthy!"

Bluestar flicked her tail for silence. "All of the cats are skilled, and have proven their loyalty countless times, but none of them have the skills needed to fulfill this prophecy."

"Then what can we do?" wailed a pretty tortoiseshell she-cat.

"Excuse me."

The cats jerked and turned as one, parting slightly to reveal a beautiful raven-colored she-cat with pretty violet eyes.

"Ravenstar?" Bluestar meowed incredulously. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be in the Sky of the Elders?"

"Yes, but I have heard of your predicament." Her voice was soft and sweet. "After all, we watch the clans to, and know what is coming. And I think I know the answer to your problem."

"We are listening, great Ravenstar." The cats all meowed as one.

"Well…to save the clans, I think we need to take different approach to saving the clans. For example…I've been watching these two-legs…"


	2. Transformation

Chapter One

Erin sighed and stared blankly at the whiteboard, her eyes fluttering open and then closed. She could barely hear Mr. Smith's droning voice explaining about polynomials. God she hated math. Partly because of the teacher, who was practically death; while he was teaching, the whole class was having individual conversations, laughing, and some even cursing, just trying to see if Mr. Smith would hear. Erin rolled her eyes, and dug her hand into her backpack, careful not to draw attention to herself. Slowly, she drew out her Ipod, placed the earphones in her ear, and turned the volume down low enough to still slightly hear Mr. Smith's lecture.

Her mind began to wander, toward the world of Warriors. She loved Warriors, the book about the four cat clans that live in the forest around the lake, fighting for survival and food, and to protect their clan mates. It was Erin's favorite books, and she had even written several fanfictions about it. As her mind wandered to the forest where they lived, she began to scribble on the back of her math sheet. She drew a picture of a slender she-cat with sleek gray fur, with several black spots racing down her back. Her eyes were strange colors, one was green, and the other was blue. The cat's head was small and compacted neatly, with delicately shaped ears and long skinny whiskers. Her paws were small and dainty, tail long and slender. Erin smiled, wishing that she was that cat.

Suddenly, a large meaty hand slammed down on her desk, jolting Erin out of her daydreams. She looked up uneasily to see Mr. Smith glaring down at her, his yellow eyes scrunched. She gave an uneasy smile.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"I don't believe you," Alex growled, crossing his arms in frustration. "Why the hell would you listen to music in class? You were bound to get caught!"

"But he's deaf! He would have never noticed!" Erin retorted. "I just wasn't paying much attention to make sure that he didn't."

"You bet you weren't! Instead, you were busy doodling for like five minutes while he was standing over you!"

Erin stuck out her tongue at him. "Well I'm sorry! You don't have to be such a worry wart about it."

"But you got a damn detention! You never get detentions! It's always me who gets the detentions!"

"What, did you want me to tell Mr. Smith that it was your Ipod, and you were forcing me to listen to it, by shoving it in my ears?" She giggled.

Alex scowled. "That's not what I meant."

"Exactly, so stop fussing. I'll live with it."

Erin rested her hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. Alex had been her best friend for years; he always been like a brother to her. They had done everything together, had always gone to the same schools, were always there for each other. Alex had always looked after her, protecting her from every thing that had scared her, and Erin in turn took care of him, helping heal his injuries when he got in gang fights, and helping him cool his temper whenever he got mad at Sam or Bailey…or anyone else for that matter. Alex's temper was extreme; the slightest quirk would send his fists flying. But Erin helped keep that in check. She was the only one Alex didn't try to kill whenever she said something that offended him, even if she was just teasing. But that was all she ever did, tease but never offend on purpose.

Alex looked back down and gave a small smile back before sighing. He was incredibly handsome, with jet-black hair that was always a mess. He was pretty tall, with hard muscles that he made by fighting so much. His jeans were ripped, his shirt stained. He lived in a pretty crappy family, so he spent most of his time at Erin's house. But what she loved most about him was his shockingly violet eyes that stuck out against his pale skin. They were just so intriguing…

"So you're coming tonight?" Erin finally asked after pausing a long moment to study his features.

"Yeah, I got nothing better to do. My mom's inviting over some crackpot guy she met yesterday so I probably shouldn't be around."

Erin gave him a sympathetic look, but brightened. "Well that's good! I'm glad you're coming." Out of all of her friends, Alex was the one she wanted to be with the most.

"Sam and Bailey going?"

"Yep, and Chris. And of course my brother will be there."

"Huh…"

Erin looked away from him and out into the street. They were walking home from school, although they lived about 40 minutes away by walking. But Erin's mom was gong to pick them up on the way.

She watched as the cars raced by, flashes of blue, black, yellow, red, dark green, and gray. Erin narrowed her eyes; she had never been interested in cars that much. And then she spotted it.

It was a small beautiful cat, with shiny black fur that had purple shades in the sun; raven-colored fur, Erin thought. Its eyes were a stunning violet, just like Alex's, and what was weird was that the cat was staring at her, a necklace dangling from its tiny mouth.

"Alex…" she whispered, breathless. But Alex didn't hear her; he was too busy paying attention to the road in front of him. Erin stopped, never taking her eyes off the cat. It was hovering at the edge of the sidewalk, its eyes darting nervously as it watched the cars race past. Erin vaguely remembered Cinderpelt from the Warriors Books, who had her hind-leg injured by the Thunderpath, which, in human language, was a road. She didn't want to watch the same thing happen to this cat, or worse…she shook away the bloody images.

"Erin?" Alex had finally noticed that Erin was no longer following, and had turned and stopped to face her. "Erin what's wrong?" His voice was urgent, but Erin could barely hear it.

The cat darted onto the road.

"NO!" Erin screamed, as a car roared straight toward the tiny cat. And without thinking, she raced into the street herself, heart pounding as she raced toward the cat. The cat had skidded to a stop, right in front of the car's path, and was staring wide-eyed at her. For a moment, every thing froze, the cars slowed, the breeze disappeared, the leaves no longer danced. Erin couldn't even hear Alex's voice anymore.

The cat locked gazes with her, and everything simply stopped. "You will save the clans," came a whispery voice. And then the cat disappeared, leaving the necklace behind, and everything went back into motion.

"ERIN!" Arms locked around her and pulled her backwards, just as the car screeched past, the driver shouting curses. Erin tumbled backwards onto Alex, breathing harshly.

"Alex?" she croaked.

"You idiot! Why the hell would you go running into the street like some crazed maniac trying to kill herself?" Alex's voice was filled with fury.

"Sorry…" they scrambled back onto the sidewalk. "It's just…I thought that cat was going to get run over so I…"

"Cat? What cat?" Alex looked at her in confusion.

"You didn't see-?" Erin shook her head. "Never mind but could you do a favor for me Alex?"

"What?"

Erin looked back out into the street. The necklace was still there. "Get that necklace for me okay?"

"Since when are you interested in jewelry?" Alex questioned, staring at her incredulously.

"Please Alex? This is important! My…grandma gave it to me and my mom would kill me if I lost it!"

"But I didn't see you wearing…" He broke off when Erin gave him a pouting look. "Okay fine, wait here."

He waited for all the cars to pass before darting out into the street, snatching up the necklace and racing back over to the sidewalk. He was fast; Erin had to admit.

"Here." He dumped the necklace onto her hand. "Are you happy now?"

"Yes thank you-," She was cut off when a man got out of a car and waved at his fist, shouting word in French.

Erin and Alex raced away, trying their best to hold back their laughter.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Erin sighed and tried to close her ears to the noise. Sam and Alex were having another fight; Sam had kept throwing popcorn at him, giggling as she did so and whispering taunts. Alex tried to keep his temper in check, but of course had failed. Now, Alex and Sam were in a tussle, Sam screaming as Alex pulled out her hair. Even if it was a woman, Alex still shared no mercy.

Erin rolled her eyes and glanced at Bailey, who smirked, putting a finger to her lips. She crouched on her brother's bed, where Chris andher brother, Andrew, were playing Metroid, trying their best to ignore the chaos that surrounded them. Then, she leaped, landing right on Alex, who was knocked backwards against the desk, where he brother's TV and Playstation were. The Playstation toppled off and hit the ground with a loud thwack. Andrew nearly screamed in frustration, Chris laughed while smacking his head. Erin sighed and plugged her ears.

1…2…3….

Erin's father burst into the room, shouting in German, veins pulsing in his head. He had been trying to sleep obviously, and had been woken up by the noise. Immediately everyone fell silent, staring at Erin's father wide-eyed. He shouted a few more words and the slammed the door shut. Erin sighed.

"Time for bed."

0o0o0o0o0o

Erin floated peacefully in space as she dreamed. Stars glittered around her, and she caught glimpses of the planets below her. Her eyes lids fluttered, and a graceful smile painted its way across her face. This felt nice.

And suddenly she was plunging downward, past images of cats and explosions, trees splintering in half, waters turning red with blood. Erin screamed, and suddenly she was standing in a moonlit place. Before her lay a pool of crystal clear water, its smooth surface reflecting the stars so it looked as the water was made up of star shine. Erin gazed at the pool in awe.

There was the sound of something rustling, and Erin turned to see a blue-gray she-cat with a silver muzzle sat before, blue eyes narrowed with intelligence.

"Hello, two-leg, I am Bluestar," the cat spoke.

Erin's heart nearly stopped. Bluestar, old leader of ThunderClan? Why was Bluestar here in her dream?

"He-hello…I'm Erin."

Bluestar looked as if she didn't care. "You have been chosen, Erin, to save the four clans of the forest."

Erin's brain wouldn't comprehend. "What are you talking about?"

"Come now, you should know about the clans. You read the books, although they only explain half of the events. The four clans of the forest, ThunderClan, RiverClan, Windclan, and ShadowClan. They are in danger. A new prophecy has been written, and you must fulfill it."

"Prophecy?" Erin's head was still spinning from the fall. What was going on? This was just a dream right?

"Yes. The clans are in danger, and need you and your friends' skills if they are ever going to survive."

"But what can we do that the other cats can't?" Erin was beginning to make sense of things.

"That is for you to find out," Bluestar meowed, in a tone that showed that they should drop the matter. Erin fell silent. "That necklace you have, the one Ravenstar left behind, was meant for you."

"Ravenstar?" Was that the black cat that she had seen earlier? And who was Ravenstar? Obviously by her name, she was a leader, but what clan had she been leader of?

"You would not have heard of her," Bluestar growled, as if reading her thoughts. "She was one of the older leaders, a one beyond my time. She would not have been mentioned in those silly books you read."

"She should be…" Erin muttered, dazed.

"As I was saying, that necklace that you have will activate at midnight, which will begin your transformation, and your friends'."

"Transformation?" Erin's heart began to pound. What did she mean by transformation?

"You didn't think you will be helping the clans by being a human, did you?" Bluestar laughed.

What did that mean?

"You will do great things Erin. Face them, for it is you destiny." Bluestar began to fade, her blue-gray fur melting into the shadows. Her blue eyes glittered for a moment before disintegrating into the darkness.

"Wait!" Erin cried.

But darkness was already closing in on her.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Erin jolted awake, sitting up abruptly. Her body was drenched in a cold sweat, and she was clutching the necklace around her neck. It was a pretty necklace, with a gold chain and a bronze charm in the shape of a cat. Its eyes were glittering rubies.

Everyone was splayed out asleep around her, Bailey resting her head against Sam's stomach; Chris sleeping on a blanket in the corner. My brother was asleep on his bead, and Alex slept with is back against the wall, sitting up. He had strange sleeping habits. He always slept sitting up and he always slept for two hours at a time.

Erin glanced at the clock. 11:59

Oh shit.

The necklace began to burn and pulse, shaking against her skin. Erin screamed in surprise, tearing it off. It trembled in her palm, the rubies glowing fiercely.

Meanwhile, her cries had awakened the others, and the all scrambled to sit up right. "What's wrong Erin?" the asked simultaneously.

Erin had no time to reply. A white light burst from the charm and engulfed them in a whirlwind of light and sound.

Erin couldn't even scream, the breath was knocked out of her. Her skin felt as if was on fire, and it itched. Her hands trembled, shooting out sparks from her fingertips. Her blond hair whipped her face, filling her mouth and stinging her eyes. Her legs shook; her ears eyes and nose beginning to burst into agonizing pain.

"Help!" she screamed. And then darkness fell upon her.


	3. Cat Troubles

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Cat Troubles

Leafpool raised her head and sniffed delicately at the sky. It smelled like the wind and the stars and prey. She lowered her head again and continued walking, following the other medicine cats up the slope, but barely listening to their discussion over herbs and remedies.

"Mosspelt got a huge bellyache again last week. StarClan knows she's eating to much prey, but I'm not surprised, she is having her second litter of kits," Mothwing was saying, "but I gave her some watermint mixed with poppy seeds. It was perfect; she fell asleep and hasn't had a bellyache in a long time."

"That's good, I'm glad she's feeling better. But mark my words Mothwing you're gonna have a lot on your paws when her kits come," said Littlecloud wisely.

"Mudfur told me how to deal with it before he died," Mothwing replied dismissively. "I'm not going to let anything bad happen during Mosspelt's birth." Leafpool grimaced, vaguely remembering Mothwing's last few mistakes, including giving tainted water to the queens and elders. Mothwing did have a tendency with nerves also…

But her thoughts soon drifted away from her golden-furred friend. She couldn't wait till she reached the Moonpool, she had a feeling StarClan had something important to tell her; they had been hinting for a moon. And plus, maybe she would soon see her dead mentor Cinderpelt, and finally get her mind off a certain gray-black warrior. Her fur rose and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to push out the images that were filling her mind. She must forget him. He wasn't part of her life anymore.

"Leafpool?" Leafpool jolted and looked up to see the medicine cats staring at her, including her own blind apprentice, Jaypaw, even though he couldn't see. Leafpool gave an unconvincing smile.

"Sorry I just have a lot on my mind." She quickened her step until she was padding beside the other medicine cats. They looked at her questioningly, but instantly resumed their earlier discussion. Leafpool sighed and glanced at her apprentice. He was looking determinedly at the path ahead, but his ears were angled toward her. She suddenly had a feeling that her mind was being rummaged through, and instantly thought of nothing. Jaypaw shot her a quick look of frustration and sped up until he was ahead of all the others. Leafpool sighed; she would have to teach Jaypaw some restraint when it came to using his special mind-reading powers.

Finally, they arrived at the thorn bushes that circled the Moonpool. Leafpool felt a thrill of anticipation set her heart racing, and she immediately plunged into the bushes before any of the others could raise a paw.

The Moonpool was filled with starlight when Leafpool emerged; perfectly reflecting the tiny lights in the sky. The moon shown high above, bathing the tiny stone hollow in moonlight. Leafpool heard the others push through the bushes and halt beside her, but she did not look at them. She perked her ears and swore she could hear whispering. "Come Leafpool…" There must be something they had to tall her, something that could change the destiny of the clans.

"I'm coming," she murmured under her breath.

"Say something Leafpool?" questioned Barkface. Leafpool gave an uneasy smile.

"No, let's just hurry and see what StarClan wants to tell us."

Barkface didn't question her any longer, although he still looked suspicious. Leafpool felt glad that after she heard whatever StarClan wanted to tell her, she wouldn't have to act all secretive and jumpy. She followed the others down the path that led to the pool, feeling her paws slip into the paw-prints carved into the stone by her ancestors.

When they reached the pool, Leafpool settled between Jaypaw and Mothwing, glancing at her apprentice and whispering so only he could hear. "Don't do any dream spying tonight, got it?" Jaypaw glared at her, his eyes fixed on her as if he could actually see, but said nothing.

Turning away from her apprentice, she slowly lowered her head and lapped up several drops of starry water. Again, the taste of star shine and wind filled her senses, and slowly her eyes drooped until she was fading into blackness.

At first, nothing happened. Leafpool just floated gently in a dark void, her breathing slow and steady. And then, a familiar voice whispered in her ear, "Wake up Leafpool!"

Leafpool's eyes flew open to see the familiar lithe shape of Spottedleaf, her guardian, and her father's first love. "Spottedleaf!" she cried joyfully. "Oh how I missed you! You haven't shown yourself to me in awhile." Her voice grew bitter at the end, angry that Spottedleaf had abandoned her for such a long time, like when she had fallen in love with…him.

Spottedleaf nodded sadly, her amber eyes glowing with anguish. "Yes, I know, and I'm sorry dear one. I have spent many days searching, and finally, finding a new prophecy."

"A new prophecy?" Leafpool exclaimed. "Is this what you will show me tonight?"

Spottedleaf did nothing for a moment, and then nodded slowly. "Yes that is what I'm here for. You will bring the message back to the clans, and help prepare for the danger that is coming."

"But what—?" Leafpool broke off as her guardian faded into the darkness, her amber eyes flickered for a moment before fading away. "Spottedleaf! Wait, where are you going?"

And suddenly she was flying up through darkness again, her belly swooping uncomfortably as she was pushed upward. And suddenly, she was standing in the middle of a moonlit forest clearing. She looked around, expecting to see Spottedleaf, but found that she was nowhere to be seen. "Spottedleaf?" she called, worried. What had happened to the young medicine cat?

Leafpool barely had time to react; the forest suddenly burst into chaos. The wind howled dangerously, the trees shook fiercely as if they were being uprooted by the giant monsters that had destroyed her old home. And suddenly, the forest burst into flame. But these weren't normal flames, nowhere near normal flames. They were black, and giving off a bitter and acidic scent, like poison. And as the flames licked at the trees hungrily, it began to pour down rain the size of mice, pelting Leafpool harshly. The flames didn't even falter in the rain, but continued to devour the forest. "NO!" Leafpool shouted. "No! This can't happen!"

The neck on her fur rose as if she were being watched by a dangerous enemy, and she turned to see cats from all four clans pouring out of the trees, their eyes wide and terrified, their fur bristling and sticking up in clumps from dried blood. They yowled fearfully, calling for StarClan, but Leafpool knew that StarClan couldn't save them now.

And then Spottedstar's soft voice whispered in her: "The flames of poison will drown the forest in chaos, and thunder, wind, river, and shadow, will split. Only those of two paws can save the five of the forest."

And then Leafpool was jerked awake, trembling and yowling loudly, with the other medicine cats staring down at her anxiously.

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Erin's entire body ached. She blinked open her eyes, and feebly raised her head, letting out a moan of pain as she did so. It was bright, too bright; it hurt her eyes. She shut them for a moment, gritting her teeth, before opening them a fraction to study her surroundings. She was in a forest clearing, and alone by the looks of it. She couldn't see Alex or any of the others anywhere. She groaned again before rising off the ground, shaking her head as she did so. She felt dizzy, and her legs felt like lead. She took a moment to steady herself before remembering what had happened.

She had had a dream about Bluestar and then had awoken to be engulfed by a whirlwind. She had remembered how she felt as if she were being drowned and in ice and fire at the same time and shuddered. Vaguely, she tried to remember what her dream was about, but couldn't quite figure it out.

Her legs trembled fiercely, and that was when she noticed. She had looked down at her legs to see legs of course, but there were four and they were covered in light gray, fur with several black spots. She gasped and looked behind her to see a long slender tail waving at her. 'Oh my god!' she thought. 'I've been turned into a cat!'

She looked around frantically and saw a tiny puddle at the edge of the clearing. She immediately raced over to see her reflection. She gasped. She looked exactly like that cat she had drew in math class yesterday. Her fur was a beautiful silver gray, and she had finely shaped black spots racing down her back and several on her legs. Her paws were dainty and small, her head neatly compacted, her whiskers long and straight. Her ears perched majestically on the top of her head. The only thing different was her eyes. They weren't like she had drawn, one blue, one green. They were a beautiful mixture of the two, a perfect swirl creating a brilliant turquoise. Here and there were tiny golden speckles that made her eyes shine brightly in the light. They were extremely beautiful eyes.

And it seemed, as if finally realizing what had happened to her, her cat senses had been awakened. Her sight grew stronger until she could see the outline of every leaf on the trees, her ears picked up the sounds of mice scuttling and voles searching for grubs; normal sounds that humans could barely hear. She could smell everything clearly, the wind, the smell of water, sap from tree trunks, and the mouth-watering smell or prey. She shuddered; when she was human she had never wanted to even try eating a mouse or a bird or a rabbit. But now that she was a cat…

But where were her friends? They had transformed with her hadn't they? So where were they? She looked around the clearing as if expecting her friends to just appear out of nowhere. 'I'll have to fine them,' she thought determinedly. 'It shouldn't be that difficult, now that I'm a cat…but what if their scent changed when they transformed?' She sniffed herself quickly. She smelt the same (to her at least) except she swore she smelled a little sweeter, as if honey had been poured onto her and merged with her scent. 'Mmm…I smell good,' she thought while trying to hold back laughter.

Her ears pricked suddenly; she had heard a sound. Slowly, she crept forward, using her senses to pinpoint where it had come from. There it was again, a tiny rustle in the bushes on the other side of the clearing. She continued to creep forward, her ears pricked, her eyes wide with alert, and her nose carefully scenting the air. The scent smelled familiar, but she couldn't quiet tell who's or what it was.

The bush rustled again, and a head appeared; a tiny brown cat head. Erin halted. The cat carefully picked its way into the clearing, looking around warily. It didn't seem to have noticed Erin. It looked familiar; its body was tiny and covered in dark brown fur with a few gray streaks here and there. Its eyes were a golden green, with a swirl of gray around the irises, and around them was a patch of dark black fur, making it look like that cat was wearing a mask. It looked incredibly like a raccoon. It halted, fur bristling when it saw Erin.

"Who are you?" The cat hissed, in a very familiar voice. Erin gasped.

"Bailey!" she cried. "Is that you?" Now she knew who the scent had belonged to. She now smelled as if she had been sprinkled with cinnamon though.

"Erin!" Bailey gasped. "Oh yay! I'm so glad I finally found someone!" She rushed forward as if about to hug her, but then awkwardly realized that she could not hug, for she was a cat. She instead touched her nose to Erin's. "That's what they do right?" she asked, embarrassed.

Erin couldn't help but grin. "Yeah, we won't be hugging for awhile."

Bailey's eyes grew wide. "What happened to us?"

Erin gazed at her, knowing that she would have to tell Bailey about her dream. "Well Bailey, if you haven't quite noticed, we've been turned into cats."

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A/N Okay well there's chapter two! I'm really sorry about the long update, I've been really busy with Spring Break and all, and haven't been able to go on fanfiction for a while. Again, I'm sorry and hope this chapter makes up for it. Please read and review thanks!

The Devil's Shadow


	4. Welcome to The Clans

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Erin stalked carefully through the forest, glancing every once in a while at Bailey, who looked terrified and kept looking around with wide eyes as if Freddie or Jason would come out and kill them. Erin had told Bailey everything about her dream, and how they were destined to be turned into cats and save the clans. But the question she couldn't answer was what they were saving the clans from, and how.

They had traveled through the forest for what felt like an hour, trying to see if they could find any of their other friends. They were bound to be cats also, and had to be somewhere in this forest. "But where are the clans?" Bailey asked, her voice trembling. "I haven't seen them."

"Well we don't even know what clan territory we're in, although I don't think it's RiverClan since we haven't seen or smelled a river," Erin pointed out sensibly. Bailey said nothing; she had never read the Warriors books. "Let's just keep looking until we find everyone and then figure out what we can do."

Bailey nodded, still looking scared. Erin couldn't help but feel for her; it was hard for her too, to have suddenly changed into a cat without being able to say anything against it, although she was better at controlling her fear and anxiety better than Bailey was. They had to calm down if they ever wanted to find their friends, or a badger or fox might make a good meal out of them. She shuddered, but hid it from Bailey. She had to be the leader now, and Bailey would freak if she didn't have someone to follow.

"What was that?" Bailey suddenly whispered. Erin halted, paw in mid-air, and sniffed silently. There was another cat nearby...one of their friends? But it wasn't a scent she recognized at all. Bailey huddled quietly beside her, pressing her thin body against hers. Erin glanced at her, a little exasperated. Bailey would have to get over herself if there was a fight.

There was flash of white and ginger, and Erin was down on the ground, struggling feebly as strong paws held her down. She felt claws sink into her flesh, and yowled at the pain. She felt teeth connect with her ear before a harsh voice whispered, "Get off our territory!"

Erin widened her eyes; it was a clan cat! She looked up to see clear, dark blue eyes and long white fur. Could it be…? "Cloudtail?" she whispered. The white tom froze, staring down at her in surprise.

"How do you know my name?" he hissed, raising an unsheathed paw menacingly.

Erin looked up at him fearfully. How could she explain how she knew him? 'Cloudtail, I know you because I read about you in a book!' That sounded even stupider in her mind. She racked her brain, trying to figure out some excuse…

"Princess!" she finally gasped. Cloudtail stared at her. "Princess told me about you! My friend and I were journeying and we met her and she told us to keep an eye out for you!"

"My mother…?" Cloudtail muttered, his blue eyes shining. "You saw my mother? What did she say? Is she all right? Does she really miss me?" Erin let out a silent sigh of relief. Cloudtail believed her.

"Cloudtail what are you doing?" exclaimed another deep voice. Erin turned her head and saw a ginger tom pinning down Bailey, whose eyes were as big as moons. Erin immediately guessed who it was; Brackenfur, the mate of Sorreltail, another ThunderClan warrior with whom she had always liked. Although it could've also been Thornclaw…they both had the same description in the book.

"Brackenfur!" Cloudtail exclaimed, proving her guess correct, "this cat knows my mother!"

"Your mother?" Brackenfur looked at Erin in confusion. "But she lives all the way over in our old territory!"

"I was traveling with my friend when we met her!" Erin told him, glancing at Bailey with a look that said clearly not to contradict, although it was hardly necessary; Bailey looked as if her voice had been stolen right from her tiny throat. Then remembering, the main reason why she was a cat and her dream, she said, "We need to see Firestar."

"How do you know about Firestar?" Brackenfur growled, looking suspicious.

"Princess told me about him too. They were brother and sister after all," Erin quickly answered. Bailey gave her a wild glance.

"I see…" Brackenfur replied, looking put out. "But why must you see Firestar?"

Cloudtail flexed his paw on her neck.

"Because…" Erin paused, and then decided to tell the truth. "We were sent by StarClan."

Both of the toms gasped and glanced at each other. "You know of StarClan? How?"

"I do know of them," Erin replied slowly. "They have visited me in a dream, and I must talk to Firestar about it."

Brackenfur and Cloudtail exchanged a glance, hesitating. "All right," Brackenfur finally sighed. "Follow us and don't dare think of running away."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Erin agreed grimly, glancing over at Bailey, who had finally been released by Brackenfur. Her fur stood straight up as she stalked tentatively over to Erin, whom Cloudtail got off of.

"Come on," Cloudtail grumbled, still looking at Erin with interest. They padded through the forest in silence, Bailey keeping her eyes on the ground, Erin barely keeping her trembling in check.

"What are your names?" Cloudtail finally asked, glancing back at them. Erin noticed that he only looked at her. Her fur flushed hot.

"I'm Erin," she mumbled, "and this is Bailey."

"Strange names for cats," Brackenfur mused. Erin shrugged. They weren't strange for humans.

"Yeah, well, what can ya do?" she said.

"Here we are!" Cloudtail announced, waving his snowy tail. "Just through the thorn bushes." Erin nodded and followed him eagerly; she had always wanted to see the ThunderClan camp in real life.

Bailey stuck close to Erin as they crept through the thorn tunnel and then burst into the camp. It was amazing. Cats were bustling, heading back and forth between dens made from thorn bushes and ferns. Some were gathered around a large pile of prey, talking animatedly and laughing. Kittens scuffled outside of what Erin guessed to be the nursery, mimicking the moves of the apprentices, who were slightly bigger than them. Some cats were sunning themselves or sharing tongues, as their custom was called. Erin could name some of them by their descriptions. There was Sorreltail, the only tortoiseshell in the clan, and Brambleclaw, a dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes, and then there was Brightheart, who was instantly distinguished by the fact that half of her face was covered in scars. She looked uglier in real life than she had thought, but Erin only felt pity for her. And there were Mousepaw, Hazelpaw, Honeypaw…Thornclaw, Whitewing, and, Erin gasped, Graystripe! She loved Graystripe!

"You stay here," Brackenfur ordered. "I'll get Firestar." He bounded away and up badly carved stone steps that led to a ledge glued to the rock wall. And it seemed that the moment Brackenfur left their side, every cat in the clan turned to look at them, finally noticing the unfamiliar scent. They broke into whispers, and Erin flushed, pressing against Bailey. Cloudtail looked as if nothing strange was happening, just smiled serenely.

"And these must be the two strange cats!" came a ringing voice that was filled with power. Erin turned and gasped. Firestar looked even more magnificent in person. His fur was indeed the color of flame, and it glowed in the light of the sun. His green eyes gleamed with interest as he looked down at Erin and Bailey.

Cloudtail nodded. "Yep, these are the two. We found them in our territory near the SkyOak saying that they needed to talk to you."

Firestar nodded. "Brackenfur explained the whole story." He turned to Erin and Bailey. "But he hasn't told me about this strange dream of yours. Care to explain?"

Erin hesitated, glancing at Bailey. She was still shivering, trying to look as small as possible by pressing herself to the ground. Erin saw a russet-colored tom give her a sympathetic look, and guessed that the tom was Foxpaw, an apprentice to-be. She gulped. Bailey couldn't help her with decisions like these; so what would she tell Firestar? Should she tell him the whole truth, that they were really humans, or two-legs in their language, and were sent by StarClan to save them? Would he believe her? She gulped.

Firestar waited patiently as she collected her thoughts, and when their gazes met, he gave her an encouraging smile. Erin suddenly felt braver.

"Bailey and I are rogues," she began, flicking her tail side to side. It still felt strange, but oddly comforting. "We travel from place to place, meet different cats, and see different sights, when we met your sister, Princess. We were hungry and she gave us food, and told us the whole story of the clans. She told us how much she missed you and about you strange ways." It was surprising how truthful her lie sounded, as if StarClan was giving her the power to make it true. "And then that night, I had a dream. A blue-gray she-cat came to me and told me her name was Bluestar. She told me that we had to find the clans and…join them." Erin decided not to mention the saving them part. It would seem ridiculous, when they didn't even know what they were saving them from. "And…that's why we came here," she finished lamely. She could feel Bailey's gaze burning into her pelt, but she ignored her.

Firestar said nothing, just looked thoughtful. "I see…but how do we know this is true? How do we know that you were telling the truth about your dream?"

"I know Bluestar's name don't I?" Erin retorted.

Firestar nodded, unfazed. "Yes, but I have mentioned Bluestar to my sister plenty of times. How do we know she didn't just tell you?"

Erin found nothing to say to that. He was right; they had no evidence that they ever had this dream. Heck, he probably thought they were spies. She snuck a peek at Bailey, who looked even more terrified than ever. All of the clan cats were staring at them now, accusations in their eyes. She gulped.

"I think they should leave!" a black she-cat called. Erin blinked when she realized it was Hollypaw, one of the main characters in the third series of Warriors. She had never really liked Hollypaw…she was too…stuck up, and bossy. The clan immediately took up her opinion, yowling and screeching their disapproval. Erin flinched and backed away, pressing close to Bailey, who liked like, if she was still human, would pee her pants.

Erin squeezed her eyes shut. They were going to die. The ThunderClan cats were going to murder them, or if they were lucky, give them a few nasty wounds and then chuck them out of their territory. Erin shuddered as the image of blood and gaping wounds filled her mind, and she tried her best not to puke her guts out.

"FIRESTAR! FIRESTAR!"

Erin jumped and whirled around, the voice, which had somehow remained gentle even with the volume, belonged to a small but pretty light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes, and a white chest and paws. Leafpool, the medicine cat, followed by her apprentice, Jaypaw! The clan cats instantly fell silent, looking eager as to why their medicine cat had called their leader's name so urgently.

"Leafpool!" Firestar exclaimed, looking startled. "You're finally back! I thought I would have to send out the dawn patrol earlier just to find you."

"Sorry," Leafpool apologized, breathless. Jaypaw looked confused next to her. "It's just; StarClan has given me an important message. We must expect visitors!"

There was silence, and Erin had a sudden urge to hug Leafpool. If only she were still human.

And then Firestar's face broke out into a large grin. "Looks like they've already arrived.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Russetfur lunged, claws outstretched, but he dodged them neatly, swirling to the side at the last second while lashing out a paw, catching her on the hind-leg. She hissed in surprise as he swung around, sinking his claws into her flesh and kicked out at her, knocking her down. She tumbled in the dirt, before rising shakily to her paws. She glared at him.

"You fight like a tiger," she hissed. "What clan are you from?"

He shrugged. "I am not from any clan." Fighting was something he had been good at, even when he was human.

"Well you are now," Russetfur replied, smirking as she sheathed her claws. He smirked also, standing tall. His black fur rippled, his amazingly red stripes gleaming, his violet eyes glinting. He had no idea why he was a cat now, but he felt like this was something he had to accept.

"It's good to be home," Alex whispered to himself.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

A/N Again, sorry for the long update! I've had so many things to do! So I hope this chapter makes up for it, read and review!

The Devil's Shadow


	5. A new name, a new beginning

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

A new name, a new beginning

Erin blinked open her eyes and raised her head, glancing around sleepily. Where was she? This wasn't her room…and where were all of her friends? Why was there grass…and thorns…and cats…? And then she remembered. Bluestar, a flash of white and ginger, the ThunderClan camp, Firestar, Leafpool; it all came back to her.

She was in the ThunderClan camp, in the Elders den, with Bailey, and they were meant to save the clans. She shuddered for a moment, allowing panic to wash over her for a heartbeat before pushing it away. She would have to be strong today, for they were to be named as ThunderClan's new apprentices. She glanced at Bailey, who was sound asleep. She looked so frail and tired; she deserved this sleep. Hopefully, she would be more like herself when she woke up. Erin sighed and peeked at the other two cats, Mousefur and Longtail, the only two elders in the clan. Mousefur lay at the far side of the den, as far away from them as possible. She had been one of the cats who had strongly opposed to them staying here, and had immediately moved when Firestar had told her that they would be spending the night in the den. Longtail, a blind silver tabby, had apologized for her rudeness, but Erin had seen his intense dislike for them. Clearly, it would take a while for them to be accepted.

But Erin couldn't blame them. In the books, ThunderClan had been under many threats and taunts about them having so many cats that had no warrior blood. It was no wonder why most of the clan objected to having them there; they had enough troubles with the cats they had now.

Erin sighed and rose to her paws, stretching. It would be a tough time for her and Bailey, but they would have to be strong. If only one Sam or Alex were there…

Her heart throbbed painfully.

She missed Alex. They had been best friends since the diaper days, and had hardly spent a day away from each other. At school, they always had the same classes, same homerooms, same friends, and they even lived in the same neighborhood. It felt strangely empty without him, as if part of her heart was missing, or part of her soul. She shook her head, wondering why she felt this way. She and Alex were best friends and that was all, so there was no point in thinking of anything else.

Pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind, she crawled out of the den. Thankfully, it was empty; Erin wasn't in the mood for staring eyes and vicious glares. She padded over to where the fresh-kill pile was kept. It was small, and Erin knew, by the milky fingers of light that was touching the sky, that Firestar would soon send out the dawn patrol. She sighed.

She scanned the pile, gazing at the limp dead bodies of the small animals. Mice, rabbits, voles, a variety birds. She knew that it should be disgusting, but instead, the scents of the dead animals made her mouth water. 'I wonder what mice taste like….'

"Hello Erin."

Erin nearly jumped out of her new spotted fur. She whirled around, fur bristling, and then relaxed when she saw that it was only Mousepaw. She liked Mousepaw. He was one of Daisy's kits, and she knew that he had often been taunted for his kittypet blood, even though his mother hadn't exactly lived with the humans. His soft fur rippled as he padded over to her, his face gentle.

"Hello…Mousepaw right?" she said shyly, pretending not to know almost everything about him.

"Yup! Wait. How'd you know my name?" He looked suspicious.

Erin quickly came up with a cover story. "Uh…Mousefur was talking about you to Longtail. She was saying how you were such a wonderful apprentice and would make a great warrior!" She hated lying, especially because that was such a serious thing to say to apprentice. Mousepaw looked over-joyed.

"Really? She always complained about how I didn't change her bedding properly…I didn't think she liked me…but that changes everything!" His eyes gleamed, and Erin felt another wave of guilt.

"So…" Mousepaw went on. "You hungry? You can take something from the pile if you want."

"Oh…um thanks…" She mentally slapped herself. How lame did she sound? Carefully, she pulled out a single mouse from the pile and hesitantly took a bite, trying to ignore the weight of Mousepaw's stare. It was surprisingly delicious; sweet and tender. She instantly devoured the rest, her fur flushing when she heard Mousepaw's amused purr.

"So…" Erin said when she had finished, licking her paw and swiping it over her ear like she had been doing it all of her life. "What's it like being an apprentice?"

"It's great!" Mousepaw said enthusiastically. "You learn all these fighting moves and how to hunt and you get to be part of battles and protect your clan! It's the greatest feeling in the world!" He looked like a fit, with the way his fur fluffed up and his eyes shone. Erin couldn't help but laugh, flicking her tail.

"Sounds great!"

"Well you're gonna know that soon enough. You're being made an apprentice today aren't you?"

Erin gulped; she had forgotten about that. "Yeah…I am…"

"Nervous?" Mousepaw purred.

"Kinda…" she tried to purr back.

Mousepaw nudged her playfully. "Hey, it will be great. Being an apprentice is the best thing in the world."

Erin shook her head. "I don't think I'll be accepted here."

To her surprise, Mousepaw shrugged and grinned, showing white fangs. "Hey, you were sent here by StarClan weren't you? They have to accept you!"

"I don't think it's that simple," she said, but was grateful all the same.

Suddenly a yowl came from the top of the Highledge. Firestar had emerged, his pelt shining in the dawn light. His green eyes scanned the camp as each clan cat emerged from their dens. Bailey rushed out of the Elder's den, saw Erin and bounded over to her, her fur ruffled. Her eyes were anxious, and Erin brushed her flank soothingly. Bailey would have to get over her nerves and fast.

"Today, we welcome to our clan two new cats," Firestar began, standing proudly at the top of the ledge. A heartbeat later, Brambleclaw was beside him, his amber eyes shining. "These two cats will become apprentices and will be taught the warrior code. They will be treated just like any normal clan member." He paused. "Erin, Bailey, please step forward."

Erin did as she was told, nudging Bailey with her.

"From this moment on, Bailey, you shall be known as Raccoonpaw. Your mentor will be Ferncloud."

Erin saw the gray she-cat look surprised, her eyes wide, but then she glanced at her kits, saw the proud look on their faces, and rushed forward to greet her new apprentice. Erin felt glad that Bailey, or should she say, Raccoonpaw, had gotten such a nice mentor. Ferncloud was a gentle queen, and hadn't had an apprentice. It would be a nice experience for both of them.

Firestar turned to her and smiled. "Erin, from the moment forward, you shall be known as Featherpaw. Your mentor will be Squirrelflight."

Featherpaw nearly yowled in delight. She had gotten an awesome name, and an awesome mentor! Squirrelflight was one of her favorite characters in the book!

The clan yowled their names, but Featherpaw noticed that some hadn't joined in, including Honeypaw, Hollypaw, Spiderleg, and Dustpelt.

But Featherpaw didn't mind. She felt happy, light somehow. Her dream had come true. She had become a cat, and she was now an apprentice. All she had to do was find the rest of her friends, save the clans from whatever danger was coming and then…and then what?

She glanced around, an icy feeling creeping over her. She saw Leafpool, half-hidden in the shadows, and saw that she was staring at her. Her expression was filled with fear and anxiety, and perhaps anger? Featherpaw instantly looked away, her heart pounding. Why had Leafpool looked at her like that?

Somehow, she had a feeling that whatever she had to save the clans from, she was a big part of it.


	6. Training

Chapter Five- Training

It was the first day of what seemed to be the rest of Featherpaw's life. Training. Her first day of apprentice training. Never had she imagined…okay maybe she had, but it was nothing compared to what really happened.

She left with her mentor Squirrelflight at sunhigh, ready to practice hunting. Hunting! She was actually going to learn how to catch mice!

Squirrelflight didn't seem to mind having an outsider as an apprentice. In fact, she seemed over-joyed. "I know what's it like to not be accepted because of where you come from. I wasn't exactly taunted because I'm half kitty-pet, but that's because everyone thinks of my dad as a pureblood warrior. But I understand how it must feel. My mate Brambleclaw had to go through all of that, just because his father was a vicious killer. But now, he's deputy, and everyone doesn't even think of him as Tigerstar's son anymore. Just, Brambleclaw, a loyal and strong warrior."

Featherpaw listened eagerly to Squirrelflight's chatter, taking it all in. She knew the story already, but hearing it from Squirrelflight, an actual character from the book, made it sound much more exciting.

"Anyways," Squirrelflight continued, "don't worry about a thing. A few moons, and it will be like you've always been a part of the clan. Just ignore all of the others."

Featherpaw nodded, flicking her tail. She couldn't wait to catch some prey. She would bring home a mountain-sized catch so she could prove her loyalty.

"Okay here we are. The Sky Oak."

Featherpaw stopped beside her mentor and stared up at the massive tree. It was bigger than she had imagined, reaching up, almost literally, to the sky.

"Since you're thin and tiny, I thought it would be easy for you to climb up the tree and catch some squirrels," Squirrelflight explained, glancing at her. Featherpaw nodded.

"Sounds great!" she exclaimed. "I'll catch every single squirrel in this tree!"

Squirrelflight purred in amusement. "We'll see about that. It's only your first day, so it's okay if you only catch one or two." She looked up at the branches, sniffing the air. Featherpaw immediately copied, and a delicious scent wafted through her nostrils.

"That's the smell of squirrel," Squirrelflight informed her. "There's one there, on that branch." She pointed with her tail, and sure enough, a squirrel sat easily on the branch, nibbling on a beechnut. "You'll have to be quick and quiet if you want to catch it."

Featherpaw nodded and crept quietly up to the tree, never taking her eyes off the squirrel. It hadn't noticed her. 'Perfect,' she thought, carefully placing her paw on the tree's trunk. The bark was surprisingly soft against her pads, and didn't make any sound when she sank her claws into it. She glanced at Squirrelflight, who nodded encouragingly.

Carefully, she crept up the trunk, placing one paw precisely in front of the other, making sure she got a good pawful before continuing. It was slow progress, but the squirrel still hadn't noticed, and it had faced away from her. Featherpaw rejoiced quietly as she made it to the branch, stopping when all four paws were placed firmly on the branch. The wind was blowing toward her, so the squirrel had scented her yet. This was too easy.

She looked down at Squirrelflight, whose green eyes were flashing. It was a signal. Featherpaw nodded, bunched into a crouch, fixing her gaze intently on the squirrel, and leaped.

It was perfect; she landed precisely on top of the squirrel, crushing it against the bark. She slashed at it with her claws, and it was dead.

"I did it!" she yowled loudly. There was rustling, and a handful of birds took off from the branch right above her. "Oops."

Squirrelflight laughed. "Great job, but you just scared off al the prey! Now get down here and show me that catch of yours."

Featherpaw nodded, rejoicing, and practically flew down the tree. Squirrelflight watched her in amusement and pride as Featherpaw dropped her catch in front of her. "That's a nice squirrel you got there. Good job. You're pretty good for a newbie." Featherpaw stood proudly, purring, and Squirrelflight butted her shoulder playfully. "Don't boast yet. Let's see how you are catching voles."

0o0o0o0o0o

It was sunset when Squirrelflight and Featherpaw arrived back at camp. Squirrelflight carried two mice, a bird, and a vole. Featherpaw carried her squirrel, and a mouse. She hadn't exactly been successful when it came to vole catching, but Squirrelflight said she had done well all the same.

Raccoonpaw raced up to her when she dropped her catch in the pile, eyes shining eagerly. "Hey! How was your day? Mine was great! Ferncloud taught me how to fight! And she said I did really well. And Foxpaw was there and we fought together and he said I was good too and now we're friends! He wants me to go eat with him! Isn't that great? He's really nice, you should go talk to him!"

Featherpaw laughed at her bubbling chatter. "Slow down Raccoonpaw or you'll choke on your own spit."

Raccoonpaw laughed. "Sorry. I'm just so excited. I didn't know being a cat in a clan would be this fun!"

Featherpaw laughed with her. "Yeah it is great isn't it? But, it's different than being human huh?"

"Way different," Raccoonpaw agreed, sitting down heavily. "First of all, we didn't need to catch our own food." She nudged a dead mouse. "And we didn't have to fight unless you were in the army."

"Yeah…but it's weird thought huh? Just think, we might never be able to go to school again. See the rest of our friends and family. We might never be human again."

"Well we were sent here for a reason right?" whispered Raccoonpaw. "Or else, why would we be cats? We have to go back once we finish our reason to be here."

"I guess your right. For now, we just have to fit in, and wait."

"Yeah…wait. But what about the others? They have to be around here somewhere!"

"Maybe they were found by other clans," Featherpaw suggested.

Raccoonpaw sighed. "Yeah I hope."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

1 moon later

Blackpaw raised her head, sniffing delicately at the air. She could smell the clean scent of the river, the reeds waving gently in the wind, and her objective. Water vole.

She licked her lips and crept forward, placing one paw carefully in front of the other. She was still new to this, but she was determined to be a good help to her clan.

Just a few more steps…

"Blackpaw!"

The vole and Blackpaw jumped. Bristling she turned, hissing as her prey escaped, shuffling deeper into the ground. "Great job Bearpaw!" she growled. "You scared away my vole!"

"Sorry," Bearpaw huffed, dropping his own vole at his paws. "I was thinking though. Since our mentors have left us to hunt by ourselves, how about we go visit Crimsonpaw?"

Blackpaw stared at him. "Are you crazy? Do you know how much trouble we'll be in if we go to see Crimsonpaw, on WindClan territory?"

"We won't go on their territory! We'll just stay at the edge and see if he's nearby! Come on! We haven't see him for a moon, and he's the only one of us we've been able to find."

Blackpaw shook her head slowly. "I don't know Bearpaw. I don't think we should do this. The clan doesn't completely trust us yet, and if we get caught, we'll never be able to be fully accepted!"

"So?" Bearpaw countered. "We're not even supposed to be here! We're not supposed to be cats! We're supposed to be Sam and Chris, and go to school and the movies!"

"Hey, who needs school?" Blackpaw muttered.

"Come on Sam!" Bearpaw pleaded. "We need to figure out why we're here, so we should stick together. All of us. The humans, not the cats. That's why we should talk to Crimsonpaw and find the others."

Blackpaw sighed in frustration. "Fine! We'll go find Crimsonpaw. But we're not going on their territory, and we won't search for the others yet. Let's just wait till the Gathering. If we're good enough, we might be able to go, and we might be able to fine everyone else. Let's just be patient."

"Since when are you patient?"

Blackpaw shrugged. "Since when did you become so impatient?"

"Touché."

0o0o0o0oo000o0o0o0o0o

"Forget it," Blackpaw sighed. "He's not here. He's probably training, like we should be."

Bearpaw rolled his eyes. "What happened to the carefree Sam I used to know?"

"I'm just scared okay?" Blackpaw growled. "We're who knows where, and we don't even know where the rest of our friends are, if they are here. Let's keep with others okay, until we figure out what to do."

"Fine. But I don't know if I can stand to be a cat any longer."

Blackpaw glared at him, and then returned her attention to the sweeping flat landscape that was the WindClan's territory. There was no sign of Crimsonpaw, or any WindClan cat for that mater. She sighed.

"Let's go. My legs are hurting from crouching so much."

Bearpaw sighed. "Yeah…okay." He began to back away, but froze, his gaze fixed on the moorland. Blackpaw followed his gaze, and saw a flash of red racing toward them.

"Crimsonpaw!" she cried.

He came to a skidding halt in front of them. He was a very handsome tom, with beautiful reddish orange fur and deep forest green eyes. He was skinny, but large, with huge paws and a large head. His whiskers were short and blunt, but on him it looked good.

"You idiots!" he hissed. "Why the hell are you here? Do you know how much trouble you'd be in if a patrol saw you skulking around here? They'd think you were planning something!"

"I tried explaining that to Bearpaw," Blackpaw growled, jerking her head at the massive black and brown tom.

"You? You mean it wasn't your idea?" He looked absolutely shocked. Blackpaw glared at him.

"I have my smart moments."

Crimsonpaw shook his head. "Whatever. But you really should get out of here. It's too risky."

"I know," Bearpaw replied, "but we wanted to know if you had found any of the others."

Crimsonpaw shook his head. "Nope. I'm hoping at the Gathering we might find the others."

"That was what I was thinking!" Blackpaw cried. "They have to be in the other clans."

"Yeah," Crimsonpaw agreed. "I hope my sister's okay. And with Alex. He's the only one I can rely on with her."

"Yeah. I wonder when they'll realize that they're in love with each other," Blackpaw purred.

"Now I don't know how I feel about that," Crimsonpaw said.

Blackpaw laughed. "You can't deny it though."

"No I can't."

"Oh…" Bearpaw's voice was hushed. Blackpaw glanced at him to see him looking at Crimsonpaw, or more precisely, behind him.

"Well, well! Look who we have here!"

Their luck had run out. A WindClan patrol had arrived.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Venompaw arrived back at camp proudly, clutching several voles and a hawk in his jaws. He had caught each with swift, precise movements, and his mentor Russetfur couldn't have been prouder.

It was great to be the strongest apprentice in the camp. Every cat that had thought of him as an outsider, a rogue, had changed their minds when they saw him fight.

This was much better than his human life. Everyone accepted him, everyone admired him. All of the apprentices wished they had his long, lean, hard muscles and smooth, glossy, rustling pelt. They wished they had the favor of Blackstar, but none held any grudge to him. They all flocked around him, urging to be his friend, hoping he would share his secrets. It felt great.

"You did great today," Russetfur was purring proudly. "Go drop your catch in the pile and get something to eat. You deserve it. I'll tell Blackstar of your amazing progress. You'll be a warrior before you know it."

Venompaw nodded at her. "Thank you Russetfur. You're a wonderful mentor." Not that he needed a mentor.

Russetfur purred and padded away, flicking her ginger tail.

Venompaw made his way over to the pile, dropped his prey, and chose a mouse for himself.

"Hey Venompaw."

He glanced up and saw the wiry brown she-cat, Ivypaw. "Hi Ivypaw."

"Can we eat together?"

"Whatever." She sat down beside him happily and instantly started attacking a sparrow.

"So how was training?" she asked between mouthfuls.

Venompaw moved an inch away. She didn't notice. Ivypaw's main goal in life now was following him around everywhere when he or she wasn't training. It was obvious she liked him, but Venompaw only thought of her as a mere acquaintance. Someone he trained with.

His thoughts drifted to the only other thing he thought about besides fighting. Erin.

He loved her. More than anything else. They had been friends since they had been babies, and she was the only one that had completely understood him. Understood how badly he felt inside, how ripped up he was because of his parents. She was the only one who cared about his hard, cold, angry side truly, and was always patient when he was in one of his moods. She accepted him the way he was, and stood by him. He had been in love with her ever since they were kids, and he had tried to show her how he felt, since he wasn't exactly good at expressing his feelings, but she was still too dense to notice. He protected her from everything, got mad whenever another man talked to her, and was always looking for reasons to be alone with her, to touch her.

But she only thought of him as a friend, as a brother. She could never feel the same, and whenever he thought of that, it made his heart ache.

"Russetfur's calling you Venompaw."

Venompaw jumped, glanced at Ivypaw, who was watching him strangely, and then rushed forward to meet his mentor.

"Blackstar was very proud of you today," she said when he skidded to a halt in front of her. "So he's decided to let you, Ivypaw, and Toadpaw, to come with us."

"Where are we going?" Venompaw asked excitedly, flexing his claws.

Russetfur smiled evilly, her white teeth gleaming.

"We're going to attack ThunderClan."

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A/N Hey sorry about the long update! Um, yeah I hope this chapter makes up for it! Enjoy! And review!


	7. Attack

Chapter Six- Attack

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Featherpaw twitched in her sleep, groaning. She was running, running through a dark forest, with the eyes of the calculating ThunderClan cats watching her every move. She ran, feeling the hot breath of…something on her heels. She wanted to look back, to see what was chasing her, if it was gaining on her, but couldn't. She was too scared, unable to trust her pounding heart.

Suddenly, she was stopped, arriving at a dead end. The trees were to close together; there was nowhere to run. She gasped, as the large creature crashed into her, knocking her down, pushing the breath out of her. She gasped, as claws sank into her shoulder, and teeth bit into her ear.

She was going to die…and she hadn't even been able to finish her training. Or find her friends and become human again. She hadn't been able to figure out her true feelings…

"Alex…" She would never see him again.

Violet eyes flashed. "Erin?"

She jolted awake.

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Blackpaw huddled against Bearpaw, bristling as the WindClan cats surrounded them, hissing and lashing their tails. Crimsonpaw looked equally despaired, caught red-handed at what they must think had been a betrayal. A WindClan cat, talking to two RiverClan apprentices. Other clans weren't supposed to have friendships in other clans, and that was hard, when they each had known each other for years.

"What is going on here Crimsonpaw?" growled Mudclaw, a dark brown tabby, whom Blackpaw recognized from border patrols.

"Um…I saw these two cats and decided to have a chat. Exchange news…. Crimsonpaw stammered, bowing his hand.

"Seemed like a friendly chat," snarled a tom named Tornear.

"Well…" Crimsonpaw broke off, crouching down as Mudclaw loomed over him.

"Cats don't talk to other clan cats. You should have learned that by now newbie. You only talk to cats that are you friends, but you're not supposed to have friends in other clans. Unless you've been sneaking out to plan something with RiverClan. Perhaps you are a spy after all…"

"No!" Crimsonpaw protested. "I'm not! I swear. They were just here when I got here and I wanted to know what other clan cats were like so…."

"Lies!" Tornear growled. "You are a traitor, and you must be taken care of! When Onestar hears of this…"

"Silence Tornear."

An old ash-colored she-cat appeared, pushing through the patrol of cats. Ashfoot, the deputy of WindClan.

"He's only been an apprentice for a moon Tornear," she mewed, "cut him some slack. He would probably be curious about the other cats."

"But we told him not to talk to them!"

"Don't you talk to cats at the gathering?"

Mudclaw and several other cats snickered. Tornear growled and bowed his head angrily.

Ashfoot turned to Crimsonpaw. "Continue your hunting Crimsonpaw. As for you two…" she turned to Blackpaw and Bearpaw, "if we ever catch you two talking to this apprentice again, we will make sure your leader hears about it. Now go."

Blackpaw and Bearpaw nodded fearfully, but respectfully, turned and raced away. When they were safely in the shadows of the beech trees, Blackpaw whirled on Bearpaw. "Great job, Bearpaw!" she hissed. "We could have been in serious trouble!"

Bearpaw shrugged. "But we're not, and we saw Crimsonpaw. Leopardstar doesn't know, so why are you so mad?"

"I'm not mad! I'm just surprised at your stupidity!"

Bearpaw snorted. "You're talking to me about stupid?"

Blackpaw growled in frustration, and turned away. "Whatever. Let's just catch some prey, and act like we were always hunting, okay?"

"You're the boss." He padded past her, flicking his tail in her face as he passed.

0o0o0o0o0o0

"Are you okay Featherpaw? You look tired."

Featherpaw glanced at her mentor. "I'm fine." She sighed. "Just didn't sleep well last night."

"Yeah, well, yesterday was pretty serious," Squirrelflight agreed. Brightheart had just had her second litter of kits, but two out of four had been stillborn.

Featherpaw was on a patrol with Squirrelflight, Ashfur, Brackenfur, and Brambleclaw. They were patrolling the ShadowClan border, renewing the scent marks, keeping an eye out for any ShadowClan warriors, and maybe a tasty mouse.

"Their scent is really strong today," Brambleclaw noted. "They must have just renewed them."

Featherpaw sniffed, and cringed. The book had said that ShadowClan stunk, but never had she thought it would smell like this. Like dog crap mixed with garbage.

"Yeah," Brackenfur agreed, "like two heartbeats ago. The scent is over-powering! They must still be nearby, or at least wanted to make a point about something." He sniffed the air, eyes flashing in distaste.

Squirrelflight nodded slowly, her gaze fixed on the trees on the ShadowClan border. Her body was completely still.

"Is something wrong?" asked Featherpaw anxiously.

She didn't look at her. "Something's not right…eyes…"

Suddenly Ashfur yowled and they whipped around to see him struggling against a smoky gray tom, who hissed and bit deep into his shoulder. Ashfur yowled.

"Ashfur!" Brackenfur cried, racing forward to help his clan-mate, when a light ginger flash bowled into him.

And suddenly, cats poured out of the ShadowClan trees, yowling and screeching.

"Featherpaw!" Squirrelflight shrieked. "Warn Firestar! Now!"

Featherpaw didn't even think; she turned and galloped into the forest, her paws flying above the ground. She could hear several cat spounding after her, but she didn't look back to see who. She had been a fast runner as a human, and she would be a fast runner now. The trees whizzed past in a blur of green, and she heard the snarls of the following cats. She pushed her legs to move faster, screeching for help.

And then she was skidding into the ThunderClan camp, into a clearing full of cats, with the ShadowClan cats right behind her. The ThunderClan cats didn't hesitate; they leapt onto to the ShadowClan warriors, yowling their fury. Featherpaw dodged past Thornclaw and Brightheart who were tussling with a ginger tom, and hopped up the stone steps that led to Firestar's den.

"Firestar! Firestar!" she cried. He appeared, flame fur bristling as his green eyes swept in the scene before him. "ShadowClan are attacking! Brambleclaw and the others are fighting them at the border! They need help!"

Firestar nodded, fiercely, lifted his head, and yowled. The cats in the clearing stopped, the ShadowClan warriors held down by ThunderClan paws. "Enough! Thornclaw, Brightheart, and Spiderleg. You will stay here and watch these two ShadowClan cats. Everyone else! Follow me to the ShadowClan border. We have a land to protect!"

The cats yowled their agreement, and were already racing out of the camp before Firestar touched the ground.

Featherpaw followed, panting, feeling terrified, but excited. Her first battle!

"Featherpaw!"

She glanced back to see Raccoonpaw racing up to her. "You alright?" she mewed breathlessly. Featherpaw nodded.

A few more paw-steps, and they burst into the clearing that held the battle. ThunderClan cats were already racing to help their clan-mates, leaping into battle with claws out-stretched. Featherpaw followed Raccoonpaw into the throng of writhing cats, leaping with her onto a burly dark tabby. Raccoonpaw slid beneath his belly while Featherpaw leapt onto his back, sinking her claws into his shoulders. The tom howled in pain and writhed, trying to shake them off. Raccoonpaw pummeled the tom's belly with her hind-paws, then twirled onto her stomach to nip on his leg. The tom hissed angrily, and shook them off, turning to land a painful blow on Featherpaw's ear before racing into the bushes on ShadowClan territory.

"Great teamwork!" Raccoonpaw panted, padding up to Featherpaw and licking that blood that had welled up under her ear. Featherpaw winced; it stung.

Raccoonpaw backed away and looked around. Then, with a flick of her tail, she leaped into battle with Foxpaw, who was fighting another red apprentice. Featherpaw watched them, and then looked around for an opponent for herself. Every cat was in combat, Firestar and Graystripe were battling a dark ginger she-cat that could only be Russetfur, Birchfall and Whitewing were nipping at a smoky gray tom, while Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw fought side-by-side against another gray tom. Everyone was screeching and yowling and clawing. Blood spattered everywhere...

Featherpaw's head began to spin. She had never liked the look of blood, or the smell, and it was becoming over-powering.

Suddenly, there was a screech, and she was bowled over by a wiry brown she-cat, who was small enough to be an apprentice. The she-cat snarled in her ear. And began raking her claws through her fur, drawing hot blood. Featherpaw shrieked, turning to batter at the crazed she-cat. Another cat rammed into her; another brown tabby. Together they shrieked and bit at Featherpaw until she couldn't take more of the pain, and ran.

She didn't run completely into the ThunderClan territory. Just on the outskirts. She watched the fighting cats, breathing hard as more blood welled from her scratches. She felt weak, and tired, and suddenly wished she was human again. She didn't feel pain like this when she had two legs.

She should go find Leafpool or Jaypaw to treat her scratches...she turned...and met violet eyes.

A handsome black tabby with, amazingly, red stripes stood before her, fur bristling, teeth bared in a snarl. His claws were unsheathed. Featherpaw flinched and pressed her belly to the ground, eyes wide with fear. This tom was going to kill her...this tom that looked so familiar...

The tom raised his paw, claws dangerously long. Featherpaw bowed her head...waiting for the final blow. Violet eyes...

"Alex!" she shrieked.

The tom stopped, his eyes wide. "E-Erin?"

Featherpaw froze, and looked up. Violet eyes...it was Alex!

"Alex!" she cried and leaped onto him, licking his face eagerly. It should have felt awkward, but as a cat, it felt right. And maybe a little too affectionate.

"Erin..." he purred. "Stop...if our clans see us, it will be a problem."

"Oops...sorry." She got off. Alex looked around, violet eyes narrowed, then dodged into the nearest bush. "Come on!" he called.

Featherpaw followed eagerly. She had found her best friend, the person...cat she had wanted to find the most.

When they were safely out of sight, Alex visibly relaxed, although his eyes still flashed, with relief, with energy left over from the battle, and an emotion Featherpaw didn't recognize.

"Erin, you're here..." he whispered. "I never thought...I thought I would never see you again. I'm...glad."

Featherpaw smiled at him, purring. "I'm glad you're okay too." She pressed herself against him. "And I'm Featherpaw now."

"I'm Venompaw. And maybe you shouldn't do that," he whispered, gently pushing her away with his muzzle. Featherpaw looked at him, hurt.

"Why not? I thought you were..." She broke off, shaking her head.

"Hey...I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that it's too risky. Someone could find us behind here and if you get to affectionate...they're going to assume bad things."

"But...we're best friends!" She stopped. She knew the rules of Warriors well. You can't have any sort of relationship with a cat from another clan. It divides your loyalties, and brings tough decisions in important situations involving that cat's clan.

"Yeah...but we're not supposed to be."

Featherpaw looked at him strangely. His eyes had gone dull at something she had said.

"But...you'll come with me to ThunderClan right? Bailey's here too! Her new name is Raccoonpaw."

"She is? That's good," Alex murmured. "Now we just need to find your brother, Sam, and Chris."

Featherpaw nodded. "When you come with me back to camp, we can talk to Bailey about what we should do."

Venompaw's eyes flashed painfully. "Erin...Featherpaw, I'm not going back with you."

It took a moment for her to comprehend. "What?"

"I'm not going back with you."

"But why? You'll love ThunderClan!"

"Because," He looked down at his paws nervously, "I like ShadowClan. They teach me awesome fighting moves, and they challenge me there...and I like it there. It actually feels like a home."

"But how could you want to live in a clan with those murderers?" Featherpaw yelled, her eyes wet.

"They're not murderers! They just fight for what they think should be theirs!" He was beginning to look angry, which surprised Featherpaw. He never got angry with her.

"Yeah, and kill people because of it! That's not what should be done!"

"I don't see why you're being so selfish about this!" Venompaw hissed. "Don't you ever think about what I want?"

"I always do!" she screamed back at him. "You want to fight? I let you, and I'm always the one to clean up the mess. You want to complain about your miserable life? I let you! And I always listen don't I? But do you ever think about what I want?"

"Of course I do! I'm just not the type of guy to care about it."

Featherpaw jerked away from him, tears in her eyes. "I don't even know why I stuck by you anymore. I mean...you promised me. You promised me that you would protect me, and we would be together always. But fine, if that's how you feel, go ahead. If the only thing you care about is fighting, fine. And if you want to kill, fine. Just don't ask me to watch." She turned and stalked away from him.

"Feather...Erin wait! I didn't mean it like that!" He called after her. She heard his approaching paw-steps, and turned her head to glare at him.

"Just stay away from me," she hissed, and ran back into the throng of cats. She struck at random Warriors, not bothering to check if they were ShadowClan or ThunderClan. She was blinded by her tears anyway.

When a cat tackled her to the ground, she didn't struggle, didn't move. Claws raked her belly, drawing blood, teeth bit into her ears...she didn't even feel when the wight lifted off of her until Raccoonpaw cried, "Featherpaw, what's wrong? Were you just going to let that cat kill you?"

Featherpaw didn't answer, just sobbed quietly. She had never felt so betrayed, so heart-broken. She didn't even feel the physical pain of her wounds.

"Featherpaw what's-?" Her cry was drowned out by a louder yowl.

"Retreat ShadowClanners!" Russetfur...

Featherpaw watched dimly as the ShadowClan cats shook off their attackers and raced into their side of the forest, yowling their fury and threats of returning. She watched them race into their forest, her gaze raking each pelt, until she saw red and black and violet. Venompaw was watching her, agony in his beautiful eyes.

Traitor! she wanted to scream at him. How could you do this to me? You were my best friend...

By why? Why did it hurt so much? Sure, they had known each other since they were babies in diapers, and had always been together, but never had she imagined that the pain could be this strong.

I dreamt about you! she screamed in her head. And this is the reunion I get?

My best friend...the only one...

Her mind drifted into a distant memory, when she was still human. She was with Alex after she had fallen and scraped her knee. It had hurt, badly, and he had talked to her about random things, to take her mind off the pain as he disinfected it and bandaged it. Sam was with them, following Alex's take-Erin's-mind-off-of-it plan, and laughing.

"Look at how he takes care of you Erin," she whispered in her ear. "When will he finally confess his love to you?"

Back then, Erin had said that he didn't think of her that way, but now...something had changed.

Was Alex in love with her?

...was she in love with him?

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A/N another chapter up and ready. Hope you enjoy it as much as i enjoyed writing it!


	8. Realization

Chapter seven- Realization

Venompaw limped into camp, exhausted, with a heavy heart. Great, he thought fiercely, you just pushed away the only person...cat you've ever loved. Erin, now Featherpaw hated him.

Well it's not like she was exactly being fair, he argued with himself, I should be able to do what I want to do. It doesn't always have to be right. Besides, we haven't killed anyone yet. And we won't have to. Only self defense, that's it. There's no reason why she should act like this.

But his heart was heavy as he allowed Littlecloud to check his wounds. Featherpaw...you idiot I didn't mean anything I said. I do care about you...I want to make you happy. But I don't deserve someone like you.

She had always stuck by him, and this was how he repaid her. He had broken his promise, one he has always intended to keep, but now, she hated him. Thought he had betrayed her, didn't want her around.

It's not true you idiot, he shouted in his mind. I'm in love with you!

When would she realize that?

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Featherpaw lay in the medicine cat den, her whole entire body stinging and aching. "Hold still," Jaypaw murmured as he rubbed marigold into her wounds. Featherpaw did her best, but flinched. Everything hurt.

"You'll have to stay in here for a few days Featherpaw," Leafpool mewed, padding up to them. "You have a few serious wounds."

Featherpaw nodded slowly. "Okay." She hadn't been exactly good at fighting anyway.

"How's she doing?" Raccoonpaw had appeared, her ear and paw swathed in cobwebs.

"Good," Leafpool replied, dismissing Jaypaw. "But her wounds are irritating her, so why don't you help distract her while I treat the others and get her some poppy seeds?"

"Okay," Raccoonpaw replied cheerfully, glad to be able to do something usefully. She sat down next to Featherpaw as Leafpool stalked away. "So...our first battle huh?"

"Yeah, but I have something more important to talk about," Featherpaw mewed, shifting in her moss nest. She winced as the wounds in her hind-leg stretched. "I found Alex!" Her heart ached at the sound of his name.

"Alex?" Raccoonpaw cried, leaping to her paws. "No way!"

The other cats in the den stared at her.

"Ssh!" Featherpaw hissed. "Do you want them to think we're planning something with another cat?"

"Sorry." Raccoonpaw lowered her voice. "Was he with ShadowClan?"

Featherpaw took a deep breath, and released it in a sigh. "Yeah..." Tears welled in her eyes.

"Hey? What's with the look? Did something happen?"

"We had a fight."

"A fight? You mean he attacked you?"

Featherpaw shook her head. "No! I mean a verbal fight. You know, we shouted at each other. He got mad, I got mad."

Raccoonpaw looked astonished. "I don't believe it. You and Alex had a fight? You never fight!"

Featherpaw shrugged sadly and lowered her head onto her paws. "Yeah well...it didn't make me feel good at all."

"What happened? What did you fight about?"

"About him being in ShadowClan. He wouldn't come with me back to ThunderClan. He wanted to stay with them and kill like the rest of them."

"Did he actually say he wanted to kill?"

"Well...no. But he wanted to stay with them Raccoonpaw, and in the books, they killed without mercy. They don't think of peace. They just care about themselves. And if Alex stays with them, he'll have to kill too!"

"Well..." Raccoonpaw shuffled her paws uncomfortably. "It's his decision to stay right? You can't force him to stay with us. I mean, I know you've been together for a long time, but you can't stay together forever. Alex can do whatever he wants to do. You can't control him."

"I'm not...I can't believe you'd think...I can't believe your siding with him!"

"Well it is a little selfish of you isn't it? To have him do whatever you want him to? He's always listened to whatever you had to say Erin. Maybe you should let him listen to himself for once."

Featherpaw stared at her. "I can't believe this. If that's what you think I'm doing, fine. Whatever." She turned away from Raccoonpaw and curled up into a ball, ignoring the stabbing pain.

"Oh come on Feather! Don't be difficult."

Featherpaw didn't answer.

Raccoonpaw sighed in frustration and heavily padded away. "When you realize you're in love with him, call me!"

"I am not in love with him!" Featherpaw called after her. But deep down, she wasn't so sure.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

That night, Featherpaw couldn't sleep, her wounds ached and stung, and her head kept spinning. She kept her eyes closed, waiting for sleep to overcome her, watching distant memories of happier days with Alex and the rest of her friends. Beach parties...her 14th birthday where Alex had taken her to Universal Studios with the money he had saved up from his job at the Pizza shop...fairs...movies...hugs...

Maybe she had been a little unfair to Alex...Venompaw. But that didn't stop his words for cutting deep down into her heart and crushing a few pieces. How could he just...say something like that? They had always stuck together. Why did he suddenly want to be away from her? Was ShadowClan really that great? Or maybe there he had found a new best friend...or had fallen in love...

She moaned. Her heart couldn't take much more pain.

"Featherpaw?" It was Leafpool's quiet murmur. "Are your wounds bothering you?"

"No. Just can't sleep is all."

"I'll get some poppy seeds." She heard quiet paw-steps.

Featherpaw sighed and settled back into her nest, letting more memories wash over her. God she missed being with Alex. Her mighty protector, the one she shared everything with. It felt as if half her heart was missing.

I'll admit I was selfish, she thought, if you would just be with me again. Tears fell silently from her face, but she swiped them away with her paw.

As she licked up the poppy seeds Leafpool dropped in front of her, images of his face filled her mind, cat and human. Violet eyes, black hair, black fur...

Oh god...she was in love with him!

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"Raccoonpaw! Raccoonpaw!"

Raccoonpaw looked up, and purred. "Hey Foxpaw."

The russet-furred tom skidded to a halt in front of her, amber eyes gleaming. "Guess what? You are going to flip!"

Raccoonpaw rolled her eyes. "Just tell me before you explode!"

"Firestar said we can go to the Gathering tomorrow!"

Raccoonpaw stared at him, and then yowled in delight. "No way! That's awesome!" she trilled.

Foxpaw laughed. "Yeah! But...Featherpaw can't go...she's still too weak to go anywhere."

Raccoonpaw sighed. "She'll probably be upset, but it's her own fault for letting herself get injured."

Foxpaw's eyes widened. "She let herself get injured?"

Raccoonpaw nodded. "I saw her. She was letting a ShadowClan warrior rip her to pieces. Why else do you think she's covered in all of those gouges?"

"Wow..." Foxpaw breathed.

"But whatever. Let's go see if our mentors will let us hunt together."

"Sure."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

It was the night of the Gathering. Venompaw knew he should feel more excited, but couldn't. He was still too confused, to scared. Would Featherpaw be there? What would he say to her? Would she ignore him? Would they have another fight? They had never fought before...but now he had a feeling that once it started, it would be harder to stop.

"Are you alright Venompaw?" Ivypaw asked quietly, brushing against his flank. He shuddered inwardly. When would she realize that he had no feelings at all for her?

"I'm fine," he growled, flexing his claws. "Just anxious to get to the Gathering."

"Excited?"

"Yeah," he murmured, stomach dropping, but also lifting, at the thought of seeing Erin again. He would apologize, and make everything right between them.

"It's amazing," she whispered, "especially when the leader announces your name. Everyone looks at you and you feel scared, but so important. It' only for a second though."

Venompaw ignored her chatter, nodding absently. His thoughts drifted again to Featherpaw, the last time he had seen her. Laying there on the battle field, covered in blood, looking up at him in pain and betrayal. It had hurt him deeply, that look, and he was anxious to make it right again.

Blackstar yowled, signaling the beginning of the journey to the island. Venompaw followed, heavy but also full of light. He would make it right again. Featherpaw might not feel what he felt for her, but he couldn't risk losing her friendship.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Raccoonpaw slipped into the Medicine cat's den. Leafpool and Jaypaw were storing away their herbs, chattering quietly. Raccoonpaw nodded at them, and padded over to Featherpaw's nest, where she was gently licking her wounds.

"Hey," she mewed.

"Hey," Featherpaw replied, raising her head. "Heading off to the Gathering?"

"Yep."

"Well...have fun. Maybe you'll find the others. If you do, say hi."

Raccoonpaw scuffled her paws. "What if Alex is there?"

Featherpaw looked away. "What about him?"

Raccoonpaw sighed. "Come on Erin. Don't act like you don't care. You're in love with him, you already admitted it."

Featherpaw gave a small smile. "Maybe so. But just..."

"Any messages for him at all?"

Featherpaw turned her head and looked at her fully, her beautiful turquoise eyes clouding. "Just tell him...tell him that I'm sorry."

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A/N okay it's the end of the chapter! But yeah next chapter is about the gathering. and a lot of stuff is going to happen. You'll enjoy next chapter, i guarantee it! But yeah okay thank you all of my reviewers and continue reviewing!


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